


Harry Potter and the Behavioral Analysis Unit

by eskimita



Category: Criminal Minds, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Divorced Harry, Garcia pretty much kicks ass, M/M, Season 3, so does Luna
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-13
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-25 06:17:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2611481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eskimita/pseuds/eskimita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newly divorced and left with three children, Harry Potter sought a change of pace in his life. He found it at the BAU. He never expected to find love too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Heavenlea6292](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavenlea6292/gifts).



> I shouldn't be writing this story, considering how many I'm already working on, but my muse encourages me to do bad things.  
> If you want to follow updates on my stories or bother me to update them, I have created a Facebook page. Search Eskimita fanfics and feel free to push me to update my stories.

Harry Potter had thought that his life would settle down after he defeated Voldemort, that he would finally be able to be normal, to have the family he had always wanted and to work like any other man. Of course, nothing ever went the way that Harry thought it would. Fate had long since decided that he was her favorite bitch. Being an adult hardly changed that. If anything, it made his life more difficult than it had been when he was a teenager expected to save the world. Now, he was an adult expected to live up to the name he’d made for himself as a teenager. Fate certainly made sure that he would find a way to do just that.

It had started shortly after his divorce from Ginny.

Everyone had expected Harry Potter to marry Ginny Weasley, the woman who bore an eerie resemblance to his mother. And he had. Together, the two had adopted Teddy Lupin when Andromeda had asked them to, raising the boy like he was their own. When James Sirius was born in 2004, Harry had thought that he could never be happier. He had been proven wrong when Albus Severus was born in 2006. Harry had everything he could ever want, three beautiful sons and a wife whom he loved more than anything in the world.

That was when things went south. When Al was fourteen months old, Harry came home from work early one day, only to discover Ginny and Cormac McLaggen _in flagrante_ in his bedroom. Harry, never one to control his temper when a situation was out of his control, lost it. Quite a bit of screaming and accusations were thrown in Ginny’s direction, only to be returned in full force by the fiery redhead. It was a miracle that Harry had managed to keep control of his magic, with his anger he could have easily leveled the house. As it was, he had thrown every last one of Ginny’s belongings out the front door, screaming that he never wanted to see her on his property or near his family again. After the scandal and subsequent divorce had been published, Harry was amazed that there was anyone who still liked either one of them. When all was said and done, Harry found himself a newly divorced man with sole custody of his three children.

Because he was Harry Potter, the press had thrown a field day over his divorce. Every witch and wizard he passed on the street had an opinion of what he’d done wrong, what he should have done to hold on to the woman of his dreams. Worse were the people who felt that they had a right to give him advice on how to raise his boys, or the witches daring enough to propose he marry _them_ so that he and the boys wouldn’t lack a ‘woman’s touch’ in their lives. Harry couldn’t even go to the Ministry for work in the mornings without being hounded by someone who just _had_ to talk to him about everything that had happened. It was a repeat of the days after he defeated Voldemort, this time with the uncomfortable addition of reporters harassing him while he dropped the boys off at daycare in the mornings.

Frustrated with the constant attention he had always despised and the continual presence of the press in his children’s lives, Harry jumped at the chance to leave England when Kingsley offered it, not even stopping to think about the changes that it would bring to his life and the lives of his boys. All he could focus on was getting away from the press and the droves of witches and wizards who refused to give him the privacy he so desired. He and the boys would adapt to changes, as long as they were safe from the prying eyes of Wizarding Britain, Harry didn’t care about what sorts of changes he had to make. He would do anything if it meant his boys were raised in as calm an environment as he could provide.

That was how Harry Potter found himself, three months after throwing Ginny out of his life, moving to another country, buying a house in a completely new town, dropping Teddy off at school in Quantico, Virginia before taking James and Al to the FBI daycare, and reporting to his new superior, one Aaron Hotchner with the BAU.

*

Team dynamics had always been important in the BAU. Chasing after serial killers was a challenge without the added struggle of being able to trust each and every teammate. After Gideon had left, trust was something each team member was struggling with. Hotch had toyed with the idea of requesting another senior agent be transferred to his team, someone with the years of experience under his belt that would make him a strong leader. He’d even written a letter to David Rossi, requesting the man end his retirement and return to the team. In the end, he had decided not to add another senior agent. His team worked well the way it was right now; they just needed another person who was trained in the field, someone who could learn to work with them for many years to come, not just a few. So he’d put in a request for another young agent, someone who could be with the team for a few years to come. The last thing he’d been expecting when he’d filed the request was to be given a new agent, a transfer from England who’d never worked for the FBI before.

He’d seen the file detailing the career of one Harry Potter, an agent MI-6 had apparently recruited right out of secondary school because he was a personal target for the terrorist group that had been tearing Britain apart ten years ago. Since the downfall of that terrorist group, Agent Potter had reportedly continued to work with the agency while studying, ultimately obtaining his Masters Degree in Criminal Psychology and a Bachelors in Criminology. In the nine years of peace after Potter had played a crucial role in bringing down the leader of the terrorist group- one Tom Riddle- the agent had managed to put at least a dozen serial killers behind bars without the support of a team like the BAU. Overall, Hotch was impressed with the man, based on his file alone. They could use someone who had previous experience with serial killers. Every single one of his agents had come to him fresh, no profiling experience under their belts. Now, of course, they were experts in profiling, but it had taken a great deal of patience and tears, sometimes, to get them to where they were today. Having someone else who already had some experience with profiling could only help the younger agent click with the team.

Closing the file in front of him, Hotch glanced up as JJ opened his door, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Agent Potter is here, Hotch, and we have a case.”

Hotch stood up and gathered his briefcase, taking the file that JJ held out to him with a quiet ‘thank you’. He flipped through the case file as they walked, taking in what he would need to know so that he could brief his team. The team, seeing Hotch and JJ heading towards the meeting room, dubbed the Round Table by Garcia, rose from their desks and grabbed their coffees, following their Unit Chief. Quietly and efficiently, with familiarity that came from years of working together, the team sat down around the table, leaving an empty seat next to Hotch where Gideon had once sat, a seat that would be filled today by their newest member.

Garcia, as usual, was the last member of the team to enter the room, carrying an armful of various multi-colored folders and a bright green feather pen. Following sedately behind her came a short man, so short that he was completely hidden behind Garcia. When the blonde moved to the side and amicably wrapped her arm around the man’s shoulders, each member of the team took a moment to take in his appearance, silently profiling this new element to their team.

“Look who I bumped into on my way to yet another meeting of my Knights of the Round Table!” Garcia grinned and pulled the slightly flummoxed man next to her closer, ignoring the way his shoulder jabbed into her side. “This bite sized piece of British delight, my lovelies, is our new agent Harry Potter. Agent Potter, this is everyone.”

Agent Potter seemed to have recovered his footing, pulling away from Garcia as he gave the room as a whole a polite smile. When he spoke, his crisp accent cut across the room, drawing the other members of the team away from their musings. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Garcia told me that the team has been called in on a case.” Potter turned to meet Hotch’s eyes, easily determining which of the people at the table held the authority in the room. “I’ve finished all of my paperwork and qualifications. Am I cleared to go out in the field for this case? If so, I need to let my sister know so that she knows to pick up my boys when she gets off of work this afternoon.”

Reid, who had been silently watching the new team member and gathering information about him, noted the pronouncement with some surprise. The newest member of their team hardly looked like he could be older than Reid himself. At twenty-seven, the very last thing Reid was thinking about was the possibility of having children. He reassessed the other man, looking for anything he might have missed that indicated that the man had children. Agent Potter was at least three inches shorter than Garcia when the technical analyst was wearing her heels. He wore a neatly ironed forest green button down, loosely tucked into his dress pants. Although he had forgone a tie, like Morgan usually did, he was wearing a formal suit jacket, tailored to fit his smaller frame. His black hair was combed in what seemed to have once been a neat manner, but now it looked like Potter had ran his fingers through it to calm his nerves. Even as he watched, Reid noted the tell tale twitch of his fingers that told him Potter was barely resisting the urge to tug at the unruly strands again. Overall, the man had no outward indicators of being a father. Much like Hotch, he presented himself as a very well put together man, steadfast in his gaze and soft-spoken. Even without working with him yet, Reid could see where he might fit in with the team.

“Yes, you’ve been cleared for field work. I would suggest that you call your sister on the way to the airport. I assume you have a go-bag already packed?” When Hotch received a nod of confirmation he gestured to the chair next to him. “Sit down. I was just about to brief the team on the case.” Hotch waited until Potter had settled into the chair before looking around the table. “We’ve got a case in Dallas.”

*

“Potter,” Morgan grabbed the other man’s attention, cocking his head to the side and waiting for Potter to join him where he was leaning against the wall. When the other man was standing next to him, head tilted back to meet his gaze, Morgan grinned. “I just wanted to see if you needed a ride to the airport. Traffic in Quantico takes some getting used to.”

Potter gave him a grateful smile and nodded. “That would be great. I’m just going to run downstairs and let the daycare know that my sister will be picking the boys up. Should I meet you in the garage?”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you down there in a minute.” Morgan watched Potter go before walking down to his desk, grabbing his bag and looking over at his best friend. “What do you think, Pretty Boy?”

Reid pushed his bangs out of his face and shrugged. “I’ll let you know after I see him work a case. So far though… he reminds me a bit of Hotch. Responsible, quiet, calm, he seems like he’d be a good leader.” Reid grabbed his go-bag and tugged at the strap. “I’ll be able to collect more data after this case. I’ll let you know then.”

“Sounds good. Come on, I’ll give you a lift too.” Morgan wrapped his arm around Reid’s shoulder, tugging the other agent to the elevator. “We can see what we learn about the new guy on the drive over. The more we know before we go into this case, the better.”

*

“Luna?” Harry climbed into Morgan’s truck, buckling his seatbelt one handed as he pressed the phone to his ear. “Yeah, we got a case. I have to fly to Texas with the team. Can you get the boys? Yeah, tell Teddy I’ll call him tonight so we can read the next chapter in his book. No, the kids will not eat schawarma.” Harry ignored Morgan’s snort and Reid’s questioning hum. “There’s lobster bisque in the freezer if you really want them to eat something new. Yes, I made it. I got the lobster from that market you like down the street. Yes, it was still alive.” Harry rolled his eyes and bit back a laugh. “No, there were no sea fairies harmed. Listen; just serve the soup with some of the barley bread that’s in the crisper. Yes, I made the bread. I know you won’t eat bread if I buy it from a bakery. Yes, I will let you know how the case goes. I love you too, Lunes.”

Harry hung up the phone and leaned back in the seat, eyes falling closed. “Sorry about that. My sister is unique.”

“Did you know that the Arabic naming  _shawarma_  or  _shawurma_  comes from the Turkish word  _çevirme_  which means ‘turning’?” Reid blushed slightly even as the fact left his mouth.

Opening one eye, Harry quirked his lips in a small smile, shaking his head. “I didn’t know that, actually. I’m surprised Luna hasn’t told me. She loves learning about exotic things like that.”

“Luna is your sister, right?”

“Mm,” Harry sat up and nodded. “Yeah, she moved with me to help out with the boys. Three boys are a bit hard to take care of on my own. She’s great with them. She’s a half-day kindergarten teacher, so I guess she’s learned all the tricks to handle picky kids.”

“Sounds like you love her a lot.” Morgan couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face, hearing the affection in Harry’s voice made him think of his own sisters and how close the three of them were.

“Luna has been through some of the worst of times with me. She stood by me when no one else would. She may not be my blood sister, but she’s more my family than any of my living blood relatives are. She’s the only person I know I can trust completely.”

Morgan glanced in the rear-view mirror, taking in the fond yet haunted look on Harry’s face. He filed that look away to be analysed at a later date. Instead, he honed in on the things Harry had said rather than what his tone betrayed. “So she’s not your blood relative?”

“No.” Harry shook his head, his hair flopping all over the place. “My parents died when I was fifteen months old. I was raised alongside my cousin. My aunt and uncle never were very loving people. They spoiled Dudley and did their best to ignore my existence. It’s amazing either one of us grew up to be even sort of normal with the extremes they used. They were more concerned with looking good to their neighbours than raising either of us.” He grimaced at the memories. “Dudley is studying to become a barrister now, so something must have clicked with him at some point, but his parents are still as stubborn and stuck up as they were when we were growing up.”

Morgan and Reid were silent the rest of the short car ride, not sure what to say to that. Harry closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat again, taking a few breaths to center himself. He had no doubt that working cases with the BAU was going to be a far cry from working his cases as an Auror. He would need to be as centered and calm as possible to make it through this case.

When they pulled into the airport, all of them turned their thoughts away from their own lives; instead, focusing on the case they were about to work. The three men boarded the plane and grabbed their seats, ready to solve this case so they could get back home.

*

“Agent Potter, how much experience do you have with interviewing victims’ families?” Hotch glanced up from the case file, meeting Harry’s green eyes head on.

“Um, some, sir. Less than I would like, but enough to know what not to say.”

Hotch gave him a small smile, nodding. “I want you with JJ. Until you get your FBI weapons qualifications done, you’ll have to stay with one of us at all times. You and JJ are going to interview the families, see what you can get. Anything they noticed can help.”

“Right sir.” Harry dug a composition book and pencil out of his bag, opening the book to write down a few quick notes about the case, questions that he wanted to ask the families. Reid took note of the awkward way he held the pencil, brow furrowing as he watched Harry write. It looked to him like Harry wasn’t quite used to using pencils.

Once all of the team assignments were handed out, agents focused on his or her own thoughts, preparing themselves for another case, more grueling murders. As the plane landed, the BAU team set themselves into their work mindsets, ready to solve this case and hopefully give some closure to the families of the victims, hopefully without more victims being claimed by the unsub.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a note, because I did start this at a specific point in the Criminal Minds timeline, I will not be going into specific details on the cases that actually happen in Criminal Minds because they're in the show and I would be plagiarizing the show if I were to use specific lines and case details. The cases that I'm going to make up will be much more detailed as will some of the aftermath of Foyet because I can't resist hurting my characters.

“I can’t imagine what it would be like, seeing a missing poster, with my face on it. Can you?” JJ looked around the table at her teammates, all of whom were grabbing a quick lunch. Most of the others shook their heads, expressing a similar sentiment to hers. The new agent, Potter, nodded slowly, ignoring the curious looks around him as he finished his water.

“It would be surreal, it would feel like the world’s worst joke before the panic and confusion set in. At least, that’s what I think. I’d imagine that it would probably make me angry, I’ve got a bit of a temper.” Potter ducked his head, glancing down at his notebook and ignoring the glances the team sent towards him.

“I hate Halloween,” Morgan leaned back in his chair and tossed his napkin into the trashcan. He gestured towards the whiteboards Reid had set up around the room. “Every year, we always get someone like this. It’s like Halloween brings out the crazies. I mean, I know that what we do is bad on a good day, but Halloween just makes it seem so much worse.”

Potter grimaced and bit his cheek, causing Reid to frown in thought. If he were to profile his new teammate, something that he shouldn’t be doing considering it was the number one rule of the team; he’d say that Potter had some sort of bad experience with Halloween. Shaking off the thought, he focused on the conversation instead.

“There’s a theory that Halloween frees people of their inhibitions. The idea that the so-called veil between life and death is thinner around that time of year allows someone who is normally very reserved to let go of reservations, to do something that they wouldn’t normally do. If this unsub is spiritual in any way, it may be that being this close to the day of the dead is allowing him to perform these murders.”

“Or he could just be a sociopath.” Prentiss pushed her sandwich aside and groaned. “We see guys like this all year long, they just seem worse when it’s near Halloween because our worldview changes slightly during this time of year. We need to look at this like we do every other case. So, what do we have?”

“He takes women from places where they’re comfortable, places where they have an established routine. He seems to know their routine, so he’s stalking them, biding his time. He wants them to know that he’s after them, that’s why he leaves the posters. He wants their fear, wants to know that they’re freaked out, expecting him. He gets off on it.”

Potter leaned forward, cradling his water bottle between his palms. “We know he gets off on the fear, that he assaults them before he kills them, that he takes their faces. We just need to figure out how those traits carry over into his every day life.”

Everyone else made small sounds of agreement before turning their attention to the board again.

“Enid was taken less than twelve hours ago, if he sticks to the same timeline as with his first victim, we have a little bit of time. Let’s see what we can come up with.”

* * *

 

“’The gamin gave a military salute and sprang gaily through the opening in the large barricade.’ Alright bud, that’s the end of that chapter. Hopefully we’ll finish this case up quick and I’ll be home tomorrow to read to you. Yeah, we’re going to catch the bad guy, Teddy. Give your brothers hugs for me and be good for aunt Luna, okay? I love you, big guy.”

Harry hung up his phone and blushed when he realized that Reid was staring at him from the doorway, eyebrows furrowed. “Uh, sorry about that. Teddy won’t go to sleep at night until after I’ve read to him. We tried seeing if Luna reading to him would do the trick, while we were still in Britain, but it didn’t work. Did you need me for something?”

“You’re reading your son _Les Misérables?_ ”

“Uh, yeah. Teddy- he’s kind of a genius. He may only be nine, but he’s reading things that I never dreamed of even picking up when I was his age. We’ve been working on this book for a few months now. Most nights we read two or three chapters, depending on his day. When I’m on cases we only read one because I’m usually in a hurry.” Harry scratched at the back of his neck, shrugging. “What sorts of things do nine year olds usually read?”

Reid shook his head. “I wouldn’t know. I read _Le Morte d’Arthur_ when I was nine. My mother had read it to me before, but I wanted to read it for myself.”

Harry grinned and straightened up from where he’d been leaning against a wall. “Teddy read that this summer. He wants to work through as many books as he can in one year. So far, not counting what we read together at night, he’s finished about two hundred books. He wants to become a professor when he grows up.”

“When I was nine I thought I would discover the cure for schizophrenia.” Reid blushed as the admission left his mouth and gestured towards the room the rest of the team was in. “We’re giving the profile. Hotch asked me to come get you.”

“Right. I’ll be right there.” Harry shoved the battered copy of _Les Misérables_ back into his bag and followed Reid out into the main room of the station, standing between the tall genius and Morgan as the team delivered the profile. He watched as everyone else worked together, each of them piping in with a helpful point that might get this unsub caught. Harry remained silent though, instead choosing to listen to his teammates and watch how they interacted together.

It was obvious to him that this team had been through a lot together. A small pang in his heart had Harry frowning. He had worked seamlessly with Ron and Hermione once upon a time. After the divorce, after everything he and Ginny had said to each other in an effort to hurt one another, most of the Weasley family had turned away from Harry. It was understandable, he supposed. Looking back at what they had said to each other, it was honestly a miracle that George still talked to him. Everyone else had cut their ties with Harry except where the boys were concerned; they still loved the boys.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Harry followed Reid back to the office they had been using, throwing himself into a chair and sighing. “Does delivering the profile to the media help much?”

“Of course it does.” Reid glanced over his shoulder at Harry, setting his marker down. “Either someone who recognizes the unsub will see the report and call in, or the unsub will see it and react to it. Didn’t you use the press in England?”

Harry shook his head. “We didn’t really trust the media. The reporters were pros at spinning things to make us look incompetent. They cared less about helping us actually stop someone evil and more about trying to make themselves look good by bashing us, especially me.”

“So what did you do?” Reid slid into the chair across from Harry, spreading case files out in front of him as he spoke to the other man. “Did you have other sources that you used?”

“Not really. Our version of the BAU was brand new when MI-6 recruited me. My mentor had just decided to start up the department, so we did all of our work on our own. We did a lot of undercover stuff. I got really good at it actually.”

Hotch stepped into the room, halting the conversation with the serious expression on his face. Reid immediately sat up, setting aside his pen. Harry was ready to rise up from his chair as quickly as the team leader needed him to.

“We have a lead. Everyone to the cars.”

Harry and Reid both nodded and stood up, making sure they had their badges and guns as they left the police station. The relaxed mood that had come over them faded completely, each man turning their minds back to their current case and steeling themselves for whatever might come out of this lead.

* * *

 

On the flight back to Quantico, Harry retreated to one of the seats in the back of the plane, pulling his knees up to his chest and shutting himself away from the world. He’d known that he was going to be working with Muggles when Kingsley offered him this job. They’d discussed it in depth and both of them had agreed that Harry’s career would benefit from the experience that working with the BAU would give him. Neither one of them had thought to factor in his lack of freedom to use magic.

Today, they’d had to shoot their unsub. Harry’d had to make that call before, but it was different. The perpetrators he’d had no choice but to kill had been other wizards who had been about to kill him. In a kill or be killed situation, Harry had been able to make that call, knowing it was his only choice. Despite knowing that to his Muggle coworkers shooting the unsub had been the only choice, Harry couldn’t find peace with that knowledge. He could have stopped the man with magic. He could have safely removed them all from the situation. If Harry had been able to use magic, the unsub would be in jail right now rather than the morgue.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry watched as Morgan sat down next to him. He shook himself out of his thoughts and straightened out his legs in front of him, meeting Morgan’s eye.

“It never gets easier, does it?” Morgan’s voice was quietly sympathetic as he leaned back in his own chair. Harry couldn’t help but appreciate the calm tone.

“No. It doesn’t. Every time I had to make that call in England, it tore me up. I doubt that that feeling will ever change. It’s just…” He sighed, staring out the window across from him. “We want to save as many people as we can. We do this job- we come in so that there aren’t more bodies. It just feels awful when we’re the ones leaving the body behind in the morgue.”

Morgan nodded in agreement. “The first time I had to take an unsub down, I couldn’t eat for a week. Gideon, he was one of the founders of the BAU, came up to me one day and told me that he was taking me out to lunch. He took me to this little diner in DC that I’d never even heard of before and sat me down. While we were waiting for our food, he told me that if it came down to a choice between shooting the unsub and being shot, we had to pull the trigger. It doesn’t make the killing right, nothing does, but if an unsub gets shot then we know that they can’t hurt anyone else. If one of us goes down, that’s one less person out there who knows how to catch these guys like we do.” He shrugged slightly. “It wasn’t the most comforting thing, Gideon wasn’t the most comforting guy, but it was the truth. What we do out there, even if it does end up in the death of an unsub, ultimately it saves more lives.”

“It’s just hard, I guess, knowing that we’re supposed to be the good guys, yet we’ve killed people too. The first time I had to take someone down, I was congratulated on a job well done. I just wanted to throw up. I’d killed someone yet everyone was telling me how well I’d done, that my parents would be proud of me. I can’t believe some of the things I’ve been told after I’ve had to make that call. I know that what we do is a good thing, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that.”

“Yeah man, I feel you.” Morgan gave him an understanding smile. “My advice? Go home, put on a movie, and spend some time with your kids. I know Hotch always feels better after he spends a night with Jack. When we land, I’ll give you a lift if you’d like.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

The two fell silent, each of them stuck in their own thoughts for the rest of the flight. Harry closed his eyes, focusing on his Occlumency. He needed to put these memories somewhere where they wouldn’t eat away at him. He wouldn’t allow his work to poison the time he had with the boys. By the time the plane landed, Harry had managed to neatly file away the memories of the confrontation with the unsub and bring his mind to some balance of peace.

* * *

 

“Thank you again, for the ride.” Harry grabbed his go bag from the back of Morgan’s SUV, waving to Morgan and Reid who were both sitting in the front seat. “I’d invite you in, but I have no idea what Luna’s been doing with the boys and it might be a war zone in there.”

“No problem, man. We’ll see you back in the office tomorrow.” Morgan waved it off. “Go relax with your kids.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow guys.” Harry waved again and headed up the driveway towards his house. When he’d bought the place, he’d thanked Sirius for the money he’d been left in his godfather’s will. It was what allowed Harry to find such a beautiful house on the edge of town. About halfway up the driveway, Harry heard a squeal come from one of the front windows seconds before the front door was flung open. He caught sight of fire engine red hair before he was being tackled to the ground.

“Dad! You’re home! Aunt Luna made us eat lobster. Did you know that lobsters are only red when they’re cooked? They can be blue while they’re still alive! Blue, dad!”

Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around Teddy, picking them both off of the pavement. “I didn’t know that lobsters could be blue. What else did you learn while I was gone?”

He carried Teddy into the house, setting his go bag down inside the front door. Teddy, excited to have his dad’s full attention, started talking all about his day and what he’d learned at school. Luna came into the front hallway carrying a half asleep Al and smiled that dreamy smile she always got when she knew something Harry didn’t.

“You’ve met them.”

“I’ve met who, Luna?” Harry took Al from her and pressed a kiss to his messy black hair. “My team? You knew I would meet them.”

“No. You’ve met your soul mates, of course. Silly Harry. I expected you would meet them when we moved here.”

Harry frowned in confusion as the group moved through the hallway towards the kitchen. “Wizards don’t have soul mates, Luna. Neither do Muggles.”

“Of course they do. It’s just so hard to find them. Usually the Nargles are covering up the connection. You know they love to confuse us and muddle our brains up.”

“Right.” Setting Al on the counter, Harry grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Where’s James then?”

“Oh, he’s searching the backyard for blast ended skrewts for me.” Luna handed Al a piece of banana, absentmindedly wiping the corner of his mouth when he smeared it. “He said that he wanted to see what they look like.”

“Right then.” Sighing, Harry set his water down and looked up at Luna and Teddy. “What do you say we all head out for dinner. I don’t feel like cooking tonight.”

Teddy grinned and jumped up in excitement.

“Oh that sounds lovely. I know just the place to go too. You should go shower, you wouldn’t want to look so tired when you see them again. After all, they are your soul mates.”

“Luna…” Harry sighed again and shook his head. “I’m not looking for a relationship. You know that. Especially not after- I’m better off single. Besides, all I need is you and the boys.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely thought even though it isn’t true. Don’t worry though Harry. They’ll be patient. You all need each other. They’ll wait as long as you need them to though.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a day early because I finished it and felt like publishing it. The next update for this story won't happen until the 23rd.   
> I now have a schedule for updates of all of my stories, including a new CM/X-Men story that will appear soon:  
> Sins of the Father- Wednesday, Jan 21  
> Harry Potter and the BAU- Friday, Jan 23  
> Mated- Friday, Jan 9  
> Too Young to Fall in Love- Saturday, Jan 10  
> Golden Silence- Monday, Jan 12  
> Lone Wolf- Wednesday, Jan 14  
> A Beautiful Mind- Friday, Jan 16  
> Why Salazar Left- Saturday, Jan 17  
> A Gest of Robyn Hode- Monday, Jan 19
> 
> Enjoy!

As Morgan pulled away from Agent Potter’s driveway, he glanced at his best friend. Spencer had been quiet on the drive over here, so Morgan hadn’t been able to gage how he was feeling about their newest team member. “So what do you think, Pretty Boy?”

“He was reading his son _Les Misérables._ ” Reid looked thoughtful, like he usually did when he was remembering something and trying to put it into words. His eyes stared unseeingly out the window as his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.

“Okay…” Morgan’s brow furrowed in confusion. He was used to Reid making statements that made no sense, but that one came out of nowhere. “What does that have to do with his ability to work well with the team?”

“Nothing, I guess. It was just something that I noticed. Other than my mother, I’ve never met someone who reads their kids dated literature.” Reid bit his lip in thought, eyes closing as he looked over the past few days and the case they had just finished. “He didn’t have any problem taking orders from Hotch. When Prentiss and Elle joined the team they both had problems taking orders, but he didn’t. He threw in some valid points while we were working on the profile. I think he’ll work well with us, he offers a fresh perspective that I think we need.”

“He still has his innocence.” When Morgan noticed Reid’s confusion, he smiled. “I was talking to Hotch on the plane. MI-6 recruited Potter when he was eighteen. He’s been doing this as long as I have, but he still has his innocence. The little things that don’t really hit me and Hotch that hard anymore do affect him. He’s like you, Pretty Boy, and my Baby Girl. He can still see the good in this world.”

Reid frowned and shook his head. “I don’t know if I would describe it that way. When JJ was talking about the posters, his answer sounded a lot like something Gideon might have said, like he’d thought about it before. I don’t think he still has his innocence, I think he’s found a way to balance what we see with the good in the world. When he talks, I get the feeling that there are a lot of things he’s holding back, a lot of things he hasn’t told anybody in a long time. I can’t say for sure, but it seems like he’s hiding a lot.”

Morgan hummed in thought. “Maybe you’re right, Reid. I suppose time will tell with him. I can’t blame the man if he has some secrets that he doesn’t want the team to know about. We all have those dark places we try and keep secret. In this job, we have to keep something of ourselves away from the rest of the world. Without it, I think we would all break. Maybe he’ll let us know what it is he’s hiding as he gets to know us better. In the meantime, how about we go get something to eat? I’m starving.”

“Can we go to the Indian restaurant by my apartment?”

Morgan grinned and reached over to ruffle Reid’s hair, turning the SUV back towards DC. “Sure thing, man.”

* * *

 

“Indian food, Luna? Don’t you think this is too spicy for the boys?” Harry glanced at his sister, eyebrow raised. The two of them ushered the two walking boys into the restaurant, looking around at all of the patrons gathered inside. “You know that James is going through a phase right now. He won’t eat it if it’s yellow.”

“Oh don’t worry, Harry. I know we’ll find something that James will love. Now come on, we’re going to sit over here.” Luna led the way to a table near the back of the restaurant, one that would allow Harry to see everyone in the room without looking like he was watching them. Harry smiled at her before putting Al and James into their highchairs and sitting down.

“I don’t understand why we couldn’t have gone to a restaurant closer to the house. Did we really have to drive into DC just for dinner? I’m sure there are Indian restaurants closer to home.” Harry picked up a menu and glanced at it, trying to decipher the different entrees without looking like a complete moron.

“Of course we did, silly. How else are they supposed to see how perfect you are for them?” Luna gave him a serene smile and picked up her own menu, reading the different entrees to Teddy. “Don’t worry so much, Harry. The blithering bloodkins feed on people who worry too much. Everything is going to go splendidly, I promise.”

Harry groaned at Luna’s response and ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it. They’d had this discussion in the car. Harry insisted that there was no such thing as soul mates; Luna insisted that of course there were. (After all, she’d proved that crumpled horn snorkacks existed.) Harry had told her that he didn’t ever intend to be in a relationship again (once bitten, twice shy, after all) and Luna had called him ridiculous, stating that someone with a heart like his needed to be loved.

Harry had finally given up the argument as a lost cause, when Luna felt a deep conviction about something, there was absolutely no changing her mind. Turning his attention to the menu, he did his best to guess at foods that wouldn’t be yellow. It would be best if they avoided a meltdown in the middle of the restaurant, something that would definitely happen if James’s plate had even a little bit of yellow on it. He was so engrossed in attempting to read his menu that he completely missed Luna’s smile as she saw two men enter the restaurant and turn to stare right at their table.

* * *

 

“Hey Pretty Boy looks like our new teammate chose the same restaurant we did. We should go say hi.” Morgan started walking towards the table where Potter sat with a blonde woman and three children. Smiling, he placed a hand on the back of Potter’s chair, his smile growing when those brilliant green eyes turned to meet his. “If we’d known you were going to come here for dinner, we would have given you a ride.”

“I didn’t even know we were coming here. Luna made the decision for me.” Potter blushed, the pink crawling down his neck towards the collar of his shirt. “Luna, boys, these are my teammates, Derek Morgan and Doctor Spencer Reid. They’re both Special Agents like I am. Guys, this is my sister Luna and my boys Teddy, James, and Al.” Potter gestured towards each person at the table, smiling as he introduced them. “Would the two of you like to sit down? I was just attempting to figure out if anything on the menu is free of yellow. James is going through a phase.”

“If he eats spinach, I would suggest the saag paneer. It’s green, no yellow, I promise.” Reid sat down in one of the chairs Morgan pulled up to the table, smiling. “I’ve had it a few times, and I think it’s pretty good. It’s one of the less spicy things on the menu too.”

“Thank you. Avoiding a meltdown in a public place is always a plus.” Potter put in the order for his kids with the waiter before turning his attention back to Morgan and Reid. “Do you two normally come here after a case?”

Morgan playfully punched Reid on the arm as he answered. “Reid basically lives here. Kid may be a genius, but he can’t cook to save his life. If this place didn’t deliver, I’m pretty sure he would starve. Hotch has tried to teach him to cook at least a dozen times, but something doesn’t compute in that big brain of his.”

“Regardless of how many exact measurements may be used in recipes, quality food requires an element I have yet to figure out.” Reid’s ears were bright red with embarrassment as he shoved Morgan back. “Besides, you’re the one who managed to burn macaroni and cheese. At least I know I can’t cook, so I spare my kitchen the trauma of even trying. How many dishes have you had to replace because you ruined them?”

“Hey now, I don’t need to cook. I’ve got my baby girl to bring me all sorts of goodies when I’m on the brink of starvation.” Morgan shook his head with a grin. “I guess neither one of us are really great in the kitchen.”

“You should let Harry teach you. He’s wonderful in the kitchen. Sometimes I swear he has the magic touch.” Luna smiled as she helped Teddy draw a creature that looked like a bright orange dog on his menu. “Harry could teach anyone to cook.”

Blushing, Harry ducked his head. “She’s exaggerating. I started cooking when I was really young, and it was something I found peaceful, so I embraced it. I’m not all that great, really.”

“Daddy’s cooking is the bestest.” James grinned at Morgan, who was sitting next to him. “He makes chocolate cake that melts when you eat it!”

“Sounds like you’ve got a devoted fan here.” Morgan smiled at the little boy, helping him when James appeared to be struggling with his crayons and placemat.

“Don’t buy into his claims. Last week he told me that fried tomatoes dipped in strawberry syrup was his favorite food. He’s hardly a reliable source.” Harry shook his head in amusement as his son stuck his tongue out at him. “I am a bit proud of my chocolate cake though, no one has ever complained about it.”

Reid piped in with a “Don’t let Garcia find out you bake,” as he watched his friend color with Harry’s son, seeming perplexed by the boy’s openness to a stranger. “She’ll insist that the two of you have monthly baking nights.”

“That wouldn’t be good for anybody. I can just hear Prentiss and JJ complaining about their diets while they eat goodies. I swear, I’ve never seen anyone as drawn to chocolate as those two.” Morgan drew a caricature of a hockey player on James’s menu, reaching out and guiding the boy’s hand when James went to copy him.

Their food arrived and it was silent for a few moments before Luna smiled and looked at Reid and Morgan, a calculating gleam in her eye. “Harry could teach you to make something this Saturday. Why don’t you invite the whole team over, Harry? You can teach them how to make something and feed everybody. It would be a great way to get to know everyone.”

Morgan grinned and nodded. “We haven’t had a team bonding day in ages. The last one was right before Jack was born, I think. You could come over to my place if you’d rather the team not invade yours. I’ve got this huge kitchen that only gets used when I feed Clooney.”

“That’s true. I found cobwebs in his pantry last month.” Reid tore a piece of naan and handed it to Albus, preventing the boy from tipping over his bowl of curry. “It would be fun to have a bonding day. Everyone has been so busy recently that we haven’t had time for that.”

“I, um, I have no problem inviting everyone over. I’ll bring it up to the rest of the team tomorrow, I guess.” Flustered, Harry glared over at Luna, snorting at her dreamy smile. “I get the feeling that if I didn’t agree to invite everyone to my place, my coffee would mysteriously disappear and that would not be a good thing.”

Luna let out a tinkling laugh as she tossed some naan at him. “You would try to be an introvert if I didn’t push you and we both know that you would drive yourself crazy. Don’t complain so much. I know where you keep your fudge bars too.”

Throwing up his hands in mock submission, Harry shook his head. “Not the fudge! Teddy and I need that to survive!” The nine year old looked up from his food, focusing on the adult conversation for the first time, a shocked expression on his face. “Now look what you’ve done! Teddy’s going to be a mess if you take away his fudge bars. We’ll have everyone over for dinner, you menace.”

Luna’s serene smile caused the three men to laugh as the children stared on in confusion. Teddy waited for the laughter to die down before piping in. “You can’t threaten a boy’s fudge just to gain compliance from his father. It isn’t fair.”

Around him, the adults all laughed again, the merriment almost palpable around their table.

* * *

 

Saturday found the Potter household alive with the sounds of cleaning as each of the members hurried to prepare for the guests who would be arriving that afternoon. When Harry had invited the rest of the team to dinner at his house, they’d all agreed with a smile, more than willing to get to know their newest member. As much as Harry hated it when Luna stuck her nose into things that she thought needed to happen, he was glad for her pushing. The bonding experience with the team was something that he needed. He wanted things to work here in America, wanted to find a place that he and his family could belong.

An hour before Derek and Spencer were due to show up for their cooking lesson, Harry found Luna in the kitchen, carefully arranging the fine china that they’d brought out of the Potter vault when they moved. “Luna, are you sure that you want to use that? We want to impress them, yes, but do we have to use something so ostentatious?”

“These aren’t ostentatious.” Luna tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, pinning it back with a honeysuckle blossom. “They’re special. These plates have been used in your family for generations. The Potters always use them for meals between Lord Potter and his intended. The magic in the plates helps bless and hasten the union.”

“Luna…” Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I just met them. I’m not ready to enter a relationship, and you don’t even know if they’re interested in me. Don’t you think you’re taking this too far?”

“Of course not. They need you, Harry. And you need them. The boys need them. Don’t you trust me?” The earnest look on Luna’s face had Harry sighing and wrapping his sister in a hug, nodding.

“Of course I trust you, Lunes. I just… soul mates seems a bit preposterous to me. Until a few days ago, I didn’t know these men. Now you’re telling me that they’re my soul mates, that they’re supposed to love my boys and me more than anything in the world. It’s all a bit far-fetched to me. They’re Muggles, Luna. They aren’t just going to accept your word without wanting an explanation.”

“Of course they aren’t.” Luna smiled and pulled away. “That’s why you’re going to teach them to cook tonight. Just trust me. Everything is going to go splendidly and they’ll be well on the way to falling in love with you by the time the night is over.”

“Whatever you say, Luna. I’ve learned to trust you without too many questions.” The discussion over, both adults set off to settle the three excited boys down and finish preparing for the evening ahead.

* * *

 

“We’re making a simple eggplant parmesan. It’s nearly impossible to mess up. Wash up and watch me.” Harry turned away from the other men and washed his hands before moving to the butcher-block counter and grabbing his chef’s knife and an eggplant. When the other two were standing on either side of him, he smiled. “I always start by making sure my knife is sharp. I’ve managed to get a lot of scars over the years but none of them smarted like the scar I got from a dull knife.” He pulled the hem of his right sleeve up, revealing a jagged scar on his inner wrist. “It was a lesson well learned.”

Derek winced at the sight of the scar. “That must have hurt like a bitch.”

“It did.” Harry’s voice was quiet but firm. “Since we’re cooking for so many, we’re each going to make a dish. In my experience, this stuff goes fast. Teddy can eat a dish by himself. Make sure you’re cutting your eggplant thick enough that it won’t disappear under the sauce. We want the flavors to compliment each other, not be drowned out by each other.” Harry steadied his eggplant with his right hand and deftly sliced it thin, placing the slices to the side and grabbing a second eggplant. When he noticed that neither of the other men had started slicing their eggplant yet, he placed his knife on the counter and met their gazes. “What?”

Spencer swallowed and his fingers twitched. “It’s nothing, just-“ He licked his lips. “I’ve never seen someone handle a knife like that before. It’s…”

“Impressive.” Derek managed to regain his lost composure when Spencer broke off. He picked up a knife, grabbing an eggplant and slowly slicing it. “We weren’t expecting you to be so skilled with handling a knife.”

“Oh.” Harry blushed and resumed slicing the purple vegetable, missing the way Spencer tracked his movements with heat in his gaze. “I’ve been cooking since I was four. I’ve had a lot of time to learn how to handle a knife.”

“Why did you start cooking so young?” Spencer finally managed to kick start his brain and look away from Harry’s hands, reaching for an eggplant and beginning to slice it.

Harry glanced over at the younger man with a sad smile, his green eyes darkening. “My relatives were reluctant to take me in. They wanted me to be useful, so as soon as I was old enough to see the counter they taught me to cook. I never really minded the work. Cooking is soothing to me. It helps me center myself.”

The other men were silent, each caught up in their own thoughts about the revelation Harry had just made. Coupled with the statements he’d made while they were working their case, they were starting to get an uncomfortable picture of what life had been like for the British agent before he’d moved to America. The silence was broken by the pitter-patter of little feet as James and Albus ran into the room. When James saw the eggplant on the counter, he grinned.

“Purple sketti! I wanna help make it, daddy!” Coming around the counter, he tugged on Spencer’s leg to get the man’s attention. When he was sure Spencer was looking at him, he held his arms up. “Up please agent doctor. I wanna help daddy cook.”

Spencer’s gaze shot up to Harry and Derek who were both doing their best to smother laughter at the look on his face. “What do I do? Kids don’t usually approach me. Kids don’t like me.”

Laughing, Harry moved away from the counter to grab a tall chair, pushing it next to Spencer and placing James on it. Handing the boy a plastic toy knife and a few slices of eggplant, he kissed his son’s messy brown hair. “Cut carefully like daddy taught you to, okay?” When James nodded, Harry picked Albus up and moved back to his original spot, holding the toddler against his hip. “Just keep an eye on him. I promise that he isn’t going to bite you.”

Spencer glanced over at the little boy who was happily ‘cutting’ his eggplant and gave an unsure nod before returning to his own slicing. Seeing that the others were all focused on their tasks, Harry set out to make sure that the dinner for the team would be edible, keeping close watch over his teammates and son as he gathered Albus in his arms and moved away to grab the rest of the ingredients they needed.

From the doorway, Luna and Teddy grinned at each other, snapping a picture of the five people crowded around the kitchen counter. The two snuck away before they could be caught, finishing the cleaning of the house as Harry continued to teach his soul mates how to cook. By the time the rest of the team arrived for dinner, everyone was gathered in the kitchen, Derek and Spencer surprised that their dishes hadn’t turned out burnt and inedible.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... almost two years. But the recent rush of comments made me want to update. So here's an update.

“Oh my god,” Prentiss covered her mouth with her hand as she moaned at the divine taste on her tongue, staring at Harry in shock and awe. “Where did you learn to cook like this? This is the most delicious eggplant parmesan I’ve ever had. You have to give me the recipe.”   
There were grunts of agreement from the other women on the team as they did their best to finish swallowing that first bite of perfection. Harry watched them all with amusement in his eyes, his own food untouched. He always waited until his guests had their first bite before starting to eat. The reactions of other people to his food were something that Harry had grown to love. He loved feeding people, seeing how they enjoyed the things he made. From the reactions of JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia, Harry guessed that they were all enjoying the dish.

“Actually, Spencer made this. Mine is still in the oven.” The looks of astonishment had Harry chuckling. “You mean Derek and Spencer didn’t tell you that I invited them over early to teach them how to cook?” The question was met with heads shaking around the table. “Spencer made this one, and Derek made the one cooling on the counter. They both told me that they are somehow capable of burning water, so I took it upon myself to teach them how to make something from scratch. No one should live on Indian takeout alone.”

Spencer’s indignant “I eat other things” was drowned out by laughter from the rest of the team. Even Hotch, who had been quiet since showing up, chuckled, a smile hidden by his napkin as he dabbed away tomato sauce from the corner of his mouth. Harry counted that as a win. He wasn’t sure if the older man was always as serious as he’d seen in the week since he’d started working with the BAU or if something was going on in the man’s life, but Harry was of the firm belief that no one should frown that much. Getting a smile out of Hotch was enough to make the entire night, including Luna’s teasing about ‘soulmates’ worth it.

“My aunt taught me to cook when I was young. Nothing this elaborate, though. My relatives prefered blander foods to the more flavorful ones. This recipe actually came from a friend of mine, during my training. His grandmother was a firm believer in doing the cooking herself, and Neville had a garden where he grew the best eggplant. I was visiting them on holiday and they taught me how to make it. I’ve changed things around since, but most of it is their original recipe. Luna grows our eggplant in the garden out back.”

“Neville sent the seeds over with us when we moved,” Luna chimed in as she fed Albus a bite of the dish, cut up to the appropriate size. “All I have to do is make sure that weeds stay out of the garden and everything else sort of falls into place. Harry likes having the fresh produce, and I enjoy not having to go to the market for everything.”

“I wish I could have a garden,” Prentiss bemoaned as she cut another bite of the dish. “I miss having fresh vegetables. Anything I buy just goes to waste while we’re out on a case. If it isn’t frozen, it doesn’t make it much past a few days.”

“I have some preservation bags that lengthen the lifespan of your produce, if you would like, all of you.” Luna smiled serenely when Harry shot her a warning look. He knew that the bags she was talking about were charmed. Giving any magical object to muggles was a risky move. Still, he trusted Luna to know what she was talking about. “We always keep spares around. They’ll help your produce stay fresh for up to two weeks. They work great on meat as well.”

JJ, Prentiss, and Hotch all murmured awkward thanks at the offer. Each one of them, now that Haley had moved out of Hotch’s house, had discovered the inability to keep fresh food with their jobs. Single serve frozen entrees made up most of their diets when they were at home, if they didn’t just order takeout instead. For Hotch, who had grown accustomed to Haley being there and having fresh food when he was home, the typical diet of the BAU was a shock to his system. He’d tried to have fresh food in the house, only to come home from this last case and find it all rotted away.

“That’s one thing I’m still adjusting to,” Harry mentioned. “Back in London, I rarely traveled for the job, so all of the fast food and frozen meals are a shock to my system. I’ve been cooking things that can be reheated for Luna and the kids, so that they have something to eat while I’m gone. Luna’s a good cook, but her recipes are a little adventurous for the kids, especially since James is going through a new picky phase every few weeks. It’s best to stick to what we know the kids like for now. When James grows out of the pickiness, I’m hoping to try a few new recipes I’ve found. I just don’t want food to go to waste, so I haven’t tried them yet.”

JJ nodded her understanding, reaching over Garcia to grab the parmesan cheese, “It took me three months to adjust to the restrictions on my cooking. If I want to make something when we are home, I have to make sure there aren’t any leftovers, or they never get eaten. If it weren’t for our required gym time, I don’t know what I would do. Frozen dinners aren’t exactly the healthiest thing in the world.”

The rest of the team agreed with her as they ate their food, more focused on the delicious meal than they were on the conversation. There were a few more comments on the meal before Reid looked up, focusing his attention on Harry, who sat just to his right. He watched the smaller man cut up more of the meal for James before licking his lips and speaking. “What is your favorite type of food to cook?”

Taking a drink of water, Harry cocked his head to the side, thinking abou it. Finally, he set the glass down and glanced over at Spencer, green eyes sparkling just a bit. “I’m not sure. I’ve been favoring Italian as of late, but there are so many different cultures, so many dishes that are delicious. I’ve been looking into learning some more Eastern European recipes, things that are heartier, for the winter. During the spring and summer I stick to Mediterranean foods, lighter fare so that I don’t feel bogged down, but with cold weather coming up, it’s high time I start finding something that sticks to the bones just a bit more.”

“I would have thought that, growing up in England, you would have quite the collection of hearty recipes,” Spencer commented conversationally. “Aren’t most traditional recipes hearty?”

“They are,” Harry nodded, handing James his plate. “However, I do not like most traditional English recipes. Growing up with relatives who refused to try anything new, I guess I started to resent the dishes that they always had me preparing. I love trying new foods, making new recipes. Anything that I can make using the vegetables and fruits that we grow in the garden is good with me. I love fresh food. Processed stuff just sits heavy in my stomach.”

“Have you tried any traditional Spanish recipes yet? They’re usually heartier than Greek or some Italian, but they have the benefit of calling for fresh ingredients.” Hotch nudged Garcia, nodding his head to the almost empty casserole dish. “Will you pass that over here, please, Garcia?”

“Sure thing, Bossman.” Garcia handed over the dish, taking it back from Hotch after he took the last serving and put it on his plate. “I’ll just go get the next pan, I think we’re going to need it.”

Grunts of agreement met her as she made her way into the kitchen, Harry’s answer to Hotch’s question following her out.

“I have a paella recipe that I want to try. I just haven’t found the time to make it yet. We’ve been introducing the kids to seafood though, so I think that sometime next week, if we don’t get a case, I’m going to try it. I haven’t looked at any other Spanish recipes yet, but I’ll keep that in mind. I was actually considering attempting some Mexican food this week. I’ve never had it before, but the recipes look easy enough. Are they terribly spicy?”   
“That depends on how you make it,” Morgan said. “I can show you a few pointers, if you want. I may not be able to cook myself, but I’ve watched my moms enough times to know what’s spicy and what’s not. We can go to the store together and I’ll give you a spin through the spices you’ll need.”

“Harry would love that, wouldn’t you, Harry? You’re so much better at the shopping than I am, after all.” Everyone but Harry missed the calculating spark in Luna’s eyes as she suggested it. When Harry glared at her, she just winked at him. “It’ll be good for you, to go yourself. You know that you learn best in hands-on situations.”

“Thank you, Derek, for the offer. Maybe we can trade off lessons. You teach me about spice and I’ll teach you how to cook for yourself.” Harry glanced over at Spencer. “You too. You’re both perfectly capable in the kitchen if you focus hard enough. Look at how much everyone loves what you made. Maybe next week I’ll teach you some of the recipes I’ve made up.”

“You make up your own recipes?” Spencer stared at Harry in awe, the excitement of learning something new clearly written all over his face. “What sort of recipes have you made? What’s your process when you’re making up recipes? Do you experiment with recipes that already exist or do you start from scratch?”

“Slow down, Pretty Boy,” Morgan chuckled at Spencer, slinging an arm around his shoulder, “Give the kid some time to answer your first question before you overwhelm him with a million others. Not everyone thinks as fast as you do.”

Harry himself was chuckling, and had to take a drink before he could answer Spencer’s question, setting down his fork so that he could gesture with his hands. It wasn’t something he did often, but when he was talking about cooking, Harry often found himself pantomiming the actions. “I only have a couple that are ready for sharing with other people, both chicken dishes. I like mixing chicken with fruit when I cook. I think it makes it lighter, not to mention the great flavors. One of them, my favorite winter dish, is a chicken with pomegranate sauce. It’s difficult to make simply because it’s time consuming to get all the pomegranate seeds, but it’s worth it. The other one is a fun summer dish. It’s pistachio chicken with raspberry sauce. Luna actually suggested it, and I’m glad she did. All of the boys love it. I kept some raspberries frozen, should I decide to make it this winter.”

As he spoke, his hands pantomimed the deseeding of a pomegranate and the stirring of sauce, noticed by everyone around the table. Harry had already, in the week that he had worked at the BAU, proven that he prefered to express himself with words over actions, so to see him gesturing so animatedly was new for the team. Every single one of the profilers watched the change in the air around him with fascination. It was like talking about cooking allowed Harry to become someone else, someone more relaxed than what they had seen this week at the office. Luna noted that none of them were more interested than Morgan and Reid, something which pleased her to no end. She loved being right.

“Marry me,” Garcia got out before taking another bite of her food. “If you cook everything like this, just marry me now and we’ll retire together. I haven’t eaten this good since the last time I went home.”   
Blushing, Harry shook his head, his unruly bangs covering his forehead as he ducked it down. “Actually, I… I don’t think I’m so interested in women, Garcia. Sorry. I mean, Ginny, Ginny was one thing, an amazing person, and I loved her, but… well, when you marry straight out of secondary school you don’t get much time to figure out what you truly like, do you?” His face was red as he admitted that, his eyes lowered to his plate so that he couldn’t see Luna’s satisfied look as he said it. “Looking back now, I’m not so sure I would have made the same choices if I hadn’t had the pressure I had to marry Ginny. I’m not gay but… I think bi might be more accurate.”

“That’s okay,” Garcia didn’t miss a beat. “You can just marry my cocoa pop and I’ll move in with you. That way you can still cook for me.”

Harry coughed at that, his blush reddening even further. “I-I…”

“Relax, Little Chef, she’s teasing you. Aren’t you, Baby Girl?” There was just a small hint of steel in Morgan’s voice. He was all for teasing his teammates, but Harry was a new addition and they had no idea how much teasing he could take before it became too much. “Usually Garcia doesn’t start suggesting I marry someone until the third team date.”

“Of course not, Honey Buns. But in two team dates, all bets are off.” Everyone laughed at Garcia and at the increasingly red blush on Harry’s face. Seeing Harry’s blush, Garcia stood up and moved around the table, wrapping her arms around him. “Look how adorable he is when he’s blushing. He’s just as cute as our Boy Genius. I just want to keep him forever.”

“That’s enough, Garcia.”

At Hotch’s statement, Garcia let go of Harry without any more fuss, returning to her seat. She took a sip of water before glancing over at him, calmer this time. “So, Luna mentioned something about you baking? Is it true you make the best chocolate cake in the world?”

“You’ll just have to find out, won’t you?” Harry grinned at her as he finished his food, setting aside his plate. “I’ve been baking since I was ten. I’d like to think that I have a few good recipes, but the boys are all fans of my chocolate cake. Teddy says it’s better than his grandmother’s. I got the recipe from my former mother in law, but I changed a few things around, made it smaller. I don’t have nine people to feed on a regular basis, so I don’t usually make as much as I did tonight. I had to make the full recipe today, since we have the whole team here.”

“If the cake is as good as Luna made it out to be, you might have to marry me,” JJ teased. “There are a lot of things a girl will do for a man who bakes good chocolate cake.”

Garcia and Prentiss mumbled their agreement as everyone finished their food, all of them sitting back with a satisfied groan. It was rare that the BAU sat down together and took the time to eat a meal this filling, this delicious. Usually their team dinners were around a conference table in a backwoods police station, not in one of their houses. Maybe twice a year they were able to have a barbeque at one of their houses, but sit down dinners like this were rare, rare and treasured. Having the team together like this was why they clicked as well as they did, why they worked better together than most teams in the FBI did.

“I don’t know if I could eat dessert after all that food. I might need to go out back and run a few laps in your yard,” Derek placed his hands on his stomach in an over exaggerated manner. “If I’d known that something I made could taste like that, I would have learned how to cook right a long time ago. That was delicious.”

“We could go out back and have a quick game of football while we digest,” Harry suggested, “British football, not American.”

“Soccer, dude,” Morgan laughed. “I could play some soccer. It’s been a while since we got a chance to play a game of soccer together. I think the last time was before Jack was born.”

Everyone else nodded their agreement both to the time that had passed and the suggestion, each of them picking up their plates and making their way into the kitchen. It was quickly agreed upon that dishes could wait until after dessert, so once they were in the sink, everyone found their way into the backyard.

* * *

 

Harry’s backyard was a thing of pride for the young wizard. Other than the charms around the garden beds, he hadn’t used magic in any of the landscaping or remodeling. The sliding glass doors in the kitchen opened onto a wooden patio, flowerbeds built into the sides. The beds were currently empty of growing flowers, though Harry had decorated them with pumpkins and other squash for the fall season. On the deck was a wooden farm table, stained to match the wood of the deck. The table was covered in chalk and kids toys, clearly a place where the boys spent a good deal of time when they were home. Tucked away just below the deck, where the boys couldn’t get to it, was a grill, only used once since they moved in. Harry had never grilled before, but it was something that he’d wanted to try. Down the three stairs into the yard brought them onto the carefully manicured grass where a soccer net rested at the end. To the right side of the yard were the garden beds, winter crops planted and growing. To the left was a swing set where Teddy had already led his brothers, carefully placing them on a double swing and starting to push them. Harry picked up the ball and turned to face his team.

“So how are we going to do this? Are we going to elect team captains and split up or what?”

“Captains are good,” Hotch said, standing at Harry’s side. “You and I will be the captains. Why don’t you go first?”

“Okay,” Harry nodded, surveying the gathered adults. “Luna, you’re on my team.”

Luna skipped over to Harry’s side and leaned in to whisper in his ear as Hotch took his time picking his first teammate. When he selected Morgan, no one was surprised. Hotch and Morgan were by far the most talented, athletically speaking. Harry quickly selected Prentiss, followed by Hotch picking JJ. With Garcia and Reid left, everyone was surprised when Harry selected Reid. Garcia, though she did not look like it, was quite the soccer player. Still, Harry seemed pleased with his team. Teams set out, the game began.

From the start, the game was far more physical than a friendly game of football should be. Morgan and Harry were the most aggressive, each of them bumping into the other as they rushed to steal the ball. When Harry intercepted a pass between Hotch and Garcia, Morgan ran up and grabbed him around the waist, picking him up and kicking the ball to Garcia. Not even five minutes later, Harry bulldozed Morgan to steal the ball and kick it into the net.

At some point in time, the game became less about the teams and more about watching Harry and Morgan fight each other for the ball. The height difference between them made the physical altercation all the more hilarious, and soon the rest of the team was sitting on the sidelines, watching as Harry and Morgan did their best to wrestle the ball away from each other. Where Morgan prefered to physically move Harry out of his way, Harry would dive down below Morgan’s feet, bumping the ball out of the taller man’s reach. Both of them were overly competitive, doing their very best to outdo the other one. By the time they finally stopped playing, everyone else had long since moved to the deck with the kids, watching the two men who were panting from their exertion. 

No one noticed the speculative gleam in Reid’s eyes or the pleased gleam in Luna’s eyes as Harry and Morgan joined the team up on the deck. Harry wiped the sweat out of his eyes and held his dry hand out to Morgan to shake. “Good game. We should play again sometime.”

“I don’t know, Little Chef. You play pretty dirty when you want to. I might have to find something else to beat you at.” Morgan wiped his brow on his sleeve, extending his other hand and grasping Harry’s in it. “Do you play hockey? I’d love to see you on the ice.”

“Harry’s an excellent skater,” Luna said dreamily. “He hasn’t played hockey before but he has an ability to pick up almost any sport with no trouble. You should try it, Harry. I think you would have fun.”

“Right then,” Harry rubbed the back of his neck, glancing around at everyone, “So who wants cake?”  


End file.
